Why the Fascination out of SJU

[lolavix]

Hmmm...no residence rates for PR? Really?? FL, TX, and many other states and ports offer resident rates on several cruise lines!:confused:

As I stated, it was a rumor, but.....one has to wonder?

 

Resident rates are supply and demand driven, and very rarely is there a need to offer these in the San Juan market. It's always been like this.

 

We booked the Fascination in January to sail in August. About 90 days out in May, I saw a resident rate which lowered the cost of our two cabins by several hundred dollars apiece. I live in New England. It wasn't even all of New England or the surrounding states (NY, NJ wasn't covered). At that point, the other fares were lower, too, but the resident rate was the best available to me at that point.

 

I was :confused:. I did read somewhere that sometimes, cruise lines drop prices to offset high flight costs to the port to attract business. Not sure if that is the case, but I happily took the price drop. :)

[ontheweb]

We booked the Fascination in January to sail in August. About 90 days out in May, I saw a resident rate which lowered the cost of our two cabins by several hundred dollars apiece. I live in New England. It wasn't even all of New England or the surrounding states (NY, NJ wasn't covered). At that point, the other fares were lower, too, but the resident rate was the best available to me at that point.

 

I was :confused:. I did read somewhere that sometimes, cruise lines drop prices to offset high flight costs to the port to attract business. Not sure if that is the case, but I happily took the price drop. :)

 

And despite you posting that you had asked and there was no special resident rate for NY, I did a mock booking after you posted in our roll call that you saved several hundred dollars.

 

It turned out that they had added (since taken away ) a senior rate that we qualified for, and we saved about $300 for our cabin.

[Tapi]

We booked the Fascination in January to sail in August. About 90 days out in May, I saw a resident rate which lowered the cost of our two cabins by several hundred dollars apiece. I live in New England. It wasn't even all of New England or the surrounding states (NY, NJ wasn't covered).

 

I was :confused:. I did read somewhere that sometimes, cruise lines drop prices to offset high flight costs to the port to attract business. Not sure if that is the case, but I happily took the price drop. :)

 

 

Let me add that yes, resident rates are offered out of San Juan. However as you stated, frequently they are not offered in the state/territory where the ship sails from but for states far away. This is a method used by the cruise lines to boost bookings from certain regions where sales may not be meeting marketing goals.

 

Sailings from Puerto Rico already get their share of drive to cruisers without the need for additional discounted rates, which is why you may see a resident discount for New Englanders but not for Puertoricans on sailings out of San Juan.

 

When I lived in Florida (on and off for 10 years), I NEVER saw a resident discount on sailings departing from Florida ports, but I saw several Florida resident discounts for sailings departing from Galveston or New Orleans frequently (not that I would've ever taken advantage of those) for the same reasons stated above.

 

Ironically, the first time I was able to use a resident discount on a cruise out of a Florida port happened when I moved to Georgia and a Georgia resident discount was offered for that sailing. But no Florida resident discounts were offered, so had I still been living in Florida I would've not been able to take advantage of that discounted rate.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Tapi

[LittleBee]

Just returned back today from this wonderful seven-day, island-intensive cruise! The ship was in great shape, food was good, entertainment wonderful, and staff were helpful and courteous. There is only one sea day after your first island stop. We hadn't been to a couple of these islands so we took taxi tours of them. Spent time on the beach in each island, too! This was our first time going out of San Juan. We flew in the day before, stayed at the Sheraton right across the street which was so convenient! Being on a smaller ship had no effect on our terrific vacation! I highly recommend this cruise!

[ontheweb]

Just returned back today from this wonderful seven-day, island-intensive cruise! The ship was in great shape, food was good, entertainment wonderful, and staff were helpful and courteous. There is only one sea day after your first island stop. We hadn't been to a couple of these islands so we took taxi tours of them. Spent time on the beach in each island, too! This was our first time going out of San Juan. We flew in the day before, stayed at the Sheraton right across the street which was so convenient! Being on a smaller ship had no effect on our terrific vacation! I highly recommend this cruise!

 

Thank you, this is exactly what those of us who will be on this ship and itinerary want to here.

 

I for one am tired of hearing how can you enjoy this ship since it doesn't have 5000+ passengers. (Actually I see that as a positive.) Or how can one possibly sail on a ship without a Guy's Burgers, or any of the other negative things being said.

 

Thank you.

[evandbob]

Thank you, this is exactly what those of us who will be on this ship and itinerary want to here.

 

I for one am tired of hearing how can you enjoy this ship since it doesn't have 5000+ passengers. (Actually I see that as a positive.) Or how can one possibly sail on a ship without a Guy's Burgers, or any of the other negative things being said.

 

Thank you.

 

Imagine that! I know we all agree with what we want to hear, even better if it's proven and who cares if it's not true? It's what we want to hear, a human fraility I guess.

 

I sailed out of SJU 3x, the 1st time was on the old Destiny, the last 2 times were on Celebrity Summit. My last cruise on the Summit went to St Croix and Martinique and was priced less for this solo NYer than Carnival's ship. And of course, the Summit had a fantastic thasso pool to relax in after being ashore and before dinner, ahhh!

 

The lower price, different islands, better food and service made it a no brainer for me, Summit won by open lengths.

[ontheweb]

Imagine that! I know we all agree with what we want to hear, even better if it's proven and who cares if it's not true? It's what we want to hear, a human fraility I guess.

 

I sailed out of SJU 3x, the 1st time was on the old Destiny, the last 2 times were on Celebrity Summit. My last cruise on the Summit went to St Croix and Martinique and was priced less for this solo NYer than Carnival's ship. And of course, the Summit had a fantastic thasso pool to relax in after being ashore and before dinner, ahhh!

 

The lower price, different islands, better food and service made it a no brainer for me, Summit won by open lengths.

 

I was responding to someone who was just off the cruise and seemed to totally enjoy it.

 

I guess they were lucky to not be as smart as you, or they might not have had such a good time.

 

We intend to enjoy this cruise, and won't let your negative opinions affect us.

 

This will be our 3rd Carnival cruise, and 11th cruise overall. I will admit that I did not enjoy our first Carnival cruise as much as I should have. I let myself go in with a negative attitude due to reading posts like yours. I have learned my lesson and now go intending to fully enjoy the cruise.

[ldlewis45]

I've sailed on the Fascination (my first cruise), and while the experience was great, I wouldn't sail on a Fantasy-class ship for a long cruise. You're still spending more than half of your time on the ship, even on a port-intensive cruise, so to me, the amenities available on the ship are very important. For me, the Valor was the perfect size for the San Juan itinerary. It was large enough that it had more amenities than the Fantasy-class ships, but was small enough that it didn't take an age for everyone to get on/off while in port. I personally would not do this itinerary on the Fascination, and it's why I haven't even considered that itinerary lately.

[evandbob]

I was responding to someone who was just off the cruise and seemed to totally enjoy it.

 

I guess they were lucky to not be as smart as you, or they might not have had such a good time.

 

We intend to enjoy this cruise, and won't let your negative opinions affect us.

 

This will be our 3rd Carnival cruise, and 11th cruise overall. I will admit that I did not enjoy our first Carnival cruise as much as I should have. I let myself go in with a negative attitude due to reading posts like yours. I have learned my lesson and now go intending to fully enjoy the cruise.

 

When does an upstater agree with a guy from the big city? No problem at all. I believe the Summit is a better deal and value and you believe the Fascination is the same for you.

 

Guess what? We're are both right! I will enjoy mine and you will enjoy yours. No problem.

 

As far as being negative, I just think I'm being realistic. I've sailed Carnival 28 times or so, over 200 sea days. I don't like the old Fantasy class ships and stopped sailing them 10 years ago. I do like Carnival's Conquest Class, the Magic, and I hope I enjoy the Vista.

 

I'm not a Carnival rosy glassed cheerleader, and I'm not always swayed by the lowest price. I compliment Carnival when they do good by me, and I fault them for what I perceive as their shortcomings.

 

Obviously, I like Carnival, but when they put lipstick on the pig and raise the price of its pork chops and bacon, I call foul.

[LMHC]

We just returned from this cruise a couple weeks ago and had a great time. We had not sailed a Fantasy class ship in 13 years and were a little concerned, but had just as good of a time as other cruises. The ship was well maintained and we enjoyed the crew whom were as helpful as other cruises. Our outside cabin was fine and wife enjoyed the spa just as much as other ships. The comedy club is larger so easier to find a seat in there and the main theater is a bit smaller so get there early for the big shows. We found lines getting off and on the ship shorter than the larger class ships. Yes there were quite a few Puerto Ricans on the ship so lots of Spanish around, but we enjoyed a nice cultural exchange with our Puerto Rican table mates and the fact other cultures on board also did not effect our cruise. Greats ports with a good price and the ship was fine as a floating hotel with nice service. I would not hesitate to do it again. Enjoy

[DevCruise]

That would be us. We've only done one other cruise, and it was on the NCL Dawn. If you read the NCL boards, you will hear a lot of the same comments there about the Dawn that you have in this thread about the Fascination.

 

For what it's worth, our next cruise will be number 6 if I haven't missed count and we prefer the smaller ships. We don't need 5 million things to do on the ship, we're there for the itinerary for the most part. 2000-3000 of my closest friends are enough in my opinion.

 

But I'm glad that cruise lines make different ships for different folks. There's enough for everyone to sail on the type of ships they prefer. I have a feeling though that eventually I'll need to find another type of vacation as I don't know of anybody building smaller ships any more.

[cmukid87]

I'm sailing for a couple of reasons.

 

1. I've only sailed Spirit and Conquest Class ships. We wanted to try a smaller/older ship. We won't know what we like best until we try it...right?

2. The itinerary. We have been to none of these ports and we are excited for each one of them.

[JohnSpo]

We just returned from this cruise a couple weeks ago and had a great time.

 

LMHC, do you or anyone else know if this ship had a Future Cruise desk to purchase a cruise while on board?

 

I have read a while ago that the Carnival cruises that depart San Juan do not have a Future Cruise Desk in operation. Thank you.

[KPfromCT]

Is there a steakhouse on the ship?

[tandemcruzr]

Is there a steakhouse on the ship?

 

No Steakhouse on the ship.

[JustCruiseMe]

Yes, I read reviews. And unfortunately I read many reviews that are filled with ignorance and flat out intolerance for other cultures.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree with your comments about placing a "nasty ship" where the "nasty people" are. As you may (or may not) know, Carnival may have the Fascination in San Juan, but more premium cruise lines like Celebrity and Disney, as well as true luxury cruise lines like Windstar have ships sailing from San Juan. I doubt that they decided to base their ships there to cater to the "nasty" people.

 

Which brings me to pricing which is a bigger indicator of what clientele a particular sailing will attract. You price a sailing cheap enough and you will most likely attract a few undesirables who unfortunately are not familiar with the basic concepts of human behavior. This is not a San Juan phenomenon but a phenomenon that you will see at any port of embarkation regardless of whether it's aboard the Fascination or another ship.

 

Your last comment about placing a newer ship where a classier and more mature crowd sails from is a bit comical. Once again, the ship does not make the crowd. Marketing and pricing does.

I have to agree with the prior poster. I did this itinerary and it was one of my DREAM destinations as many moons ago my first love was from PR. The people were rude and nasty. The couple we were joined with on the cruise felt the same way. Just because someone has a poor experience doesn't mean they are closed minded to other cultures. Get your head out of your ....

[makeda]

I've sailed a handful of times out of San Juan and it's probably one of the best cruise itineraries I've ever experienced. I'm so confused why Carnival would put one of their oldest ships in the fleet on this itinerary? I'm really disappointed, older ships like the Fascination, Ecstacy, Imagination, etc need to be for short runs, not the 6-9 itineraries.

 

when you own your own cruiseline you can sail whatever ship you want to out of whatever port you want to....what is the problem? geez!

 

by the by, love the fascination!

[FLSteve11]

when you own your own cruiseline you can sail whatever ship you want to out of whatever port you want to....what is the problem? geez!

 

by the by, love the fascination!

 

Since I'm a Carnival shareholder, and thus technically a part owner, does that mean I can complain about it? *grin*

 

The problem with the ship there for a prime Caribbean itinerary, besides being one of the oldest ships in the fleet, is the lack of balconies. Those islands are very scenic, and there just are not many ways to view the islands from the ship.

[AdGuyMG]

Let me add that yes, resident rates are offered out of San Juan. However as you stated, frequently they are not offered in the state/territory where the ship sails from but for states far away. This is a method used by the cruise lines to boost bookings from certain regions where sales may not be meeting marketing goals.

 

Not true. The Residential Rates on select sailings are driven by strong historical past bookings from a state or region of the US.

[AdGuyMG]

The problem with the ship there for a prime Caribbean itinerary, besides being one of the oldest ships in the fleet, is the lack of balconies. Those islands are very scenic, and there just are not many ways to view the islands from the ship.

 

So the interior and ocean view cabins on the competing cruise lines sail empty? And if not, are those RCL and Celebrity interior/OV people having a lousy time and regretting they even booked?

[FLSteve11]

Not true. The Residential Rates on select sailings are driven by strong historical past bookings from a state or region of the US.

 

I will also say not true. Resident rates are often used to fill up a ship with slow bookings by locals who do not need to book airline tickets to go on the cruise.

 

There are plenty of Florida resident rates for ships out of Florida, that's for sure!

[FLSteve11]

So the interior and ocean view cabins on the competing cruise lines sail empty? And if not, are those RCL and Celebrity interior/OV people having a lousy time and regretting they even booked?

 

No, they don't sail empty, you have to get what you can get sometimes. Are they having as good a time as they could have with a balcony in a scenic location, probably not (even if they don't realize it while in their inside cabins). Those RCL/Celebrity ships sailing those routes have a lot of balconies, so in general you're given a choice on those ships. With Carnival, that choice basically is not available.

 

Honestly, if given a choice, would you rather be sitting on a nice balcony with a great view on a new ship with lots of activities and options, or on an old ship with not many views? I could make that choice easily myself.

[glentally]

I agree. I want to do this itinerary but not excited about the Fascination. I will look into the other lines but I'm curious about the Fascination. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good balcony cabin on the Fascination? Thanks.

 

don't get a balcony I did because i was with my sister looking for a little more space. Hardly used it, too busy in the ports, too busy when you get back.

[AdGuyMG]

Those RCL/Celebrity ships sailing those routes have a lot of balconies, so in general you're given a choice on those ships. With Carnival, that choice basically is not available.

 

Honestly, if given a choice, would you rather be sitting on a nice balcony with a great view on a new ship with lots of activities and options, or on an old ship with not many views? I could make that choice easily myself.

 

The choice is definitely available.

 

The Carnival Fascination has 152 staterooms with balconies. 26 Grand Suites with balconies 28 Junior Suites with balconies and 98 standard balcony staterooms Category 8A thru 8D.

 

And which mass market alternative to the Fascination are you categorizing as the new ship?

 

The 15 year old Adventure Of The Seas? The 15 year old Celebrity Summit? Or the 12 year old Jewel of the Seas? All came into service during the 1st GW Bush administration. I would not consider either of those "new ships."

Edited July 20, 2016 by AdGuyMG

[falkcor]

The choice is definitely available.

 

The Carnival Fascination has 152 staterooms with balconies. 26 Grand Suites with balconies 28 Junior Suites with balconies and 98 standard balcony staterooms Category 8A thru 8D.

 

And which mass market alternative to the Fascination are you categorizing as the new ship?

 

The 15 year old Adventure Of The Seas? The 15 year old Celebrity Summit? Or the 12 year old Jewel of the Seas? All came into service during the 1st GW Bush administration. I would not consider either of those "new ships."

 

 

The carnival fascination, which is 22 years old, or in other words was christened 2 years into the Clinton administration, is even older. And it's an 'old' design that continued to be produced even after they started transitioning to the template for the destiny/triumph/conquest/splendor/dream class which have the same general superstructure.

 

I'm not saying those you stated are 'new' ships but let's be realistic - a fantasy class ship is an old design, which is not exactly competitive with its contemporaries in terms of amenities, balconies etc. and this one in particular is older than any of the others you went through the trouble to reference ages for.

 

I think there is a reason carnival can't sell these ships - nobody wants to buy them. For numerous reasons. Including the fact that many people will not buy cruises on them. Which is a valid point of view, just as much as they are a-ok for you.